NHTSA Safety Recalls
2016 Subaru Outback Recalls
The 2016 Subaru Outback has 4 NHTSA safety recalls on file, the newest reported on December 19, 2019.
A recall covers a range of VINs, not every 2016 Subaru Outback. Whether a recall on your own car is still open shows only on a VIN check; recall repairs are free.
- Recalls
- 4
- Owner complaints
- 643
- Crashes reported
- 22
- NHTSA crash test
- ★★★★★
NHTSA campaigns
filed with NHTSA
3 fires
overall, 5 stars max
On a 2016 Subaru Outback, the 17-character VIN is on the driver-side dashboard, visible through the windshield, or on the door jamb sticker.
4 recalls on the 2016 Subaru Outback
Air bags: air bag/restraint control module
- Campaign
- 19V910000
- Reported
- December 19, 2019
- Vehicles affected
- up to 46
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash and injury
- Same campaign
- also 2017 Outback
Steering: column
- Campaign
- 16V292000
- Reported
- May 11, 2016
- Vehicles affected
- up to 48,819
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- NHTSA advisory
- do not drive until repaired
- Same campaign
- also 2015, 2017 Outback, 1 other model
Power train: driveline: driveshaft
- Campaign
- 15V794000
- Reported
- November 24, 2015
- Vehicles affected
- up to 3,251
- Risk NHTSA names
- fire
- Same campaign
- also 1 other model
Power train: driveline: driveshaft
- Campaign
- 15V502000
- Reported
- August 10, 2015
- Vehicles affected
- up to 2,893
- Risk NHTSA names
- fire
- Same campaign
- also 2015 Outback, 1 other model
2016 Subaru Outback complaints by year
NHTSA has received 643 owner complaints about the 2016 Subaru Outback, the newest on August 20, 2026. Of these, 22 describe a crash (3%) and 3 a fire; owners reported 13 injuries.
In complaints about the 2016 Subaru Outback, the component group named most often is the electrical system (48%), followed by the visibility/wiper (13%) and the engine (8%).
None of the 2016 Subaru Outback's 4 recalls concerns the electrical system.
Where 2016 Subaru Outback owners gave the mileage (350 complaints), the median was 35,000 miles.
Component groups named in complaints
- Electrical System309
- Unknown Or Other124
- Visibility/Wiper83
- Engine53
- Power Train45
- Steering24
Complaints received, by year
| 2015 | 7 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 56 | |
| 2017 | 32 | |
| 2018 | 50 | |
| 2019 | 67 | |
| 2020 | 101 | |
| 2021 | 171 | |
| 2022 | 66 | |
| 2023 | 31 | |
| 2024 | 25 | |
| 2025 | 21 | |
| 2026 | 16 |
Complaints about the 2016 Subaru Outback peaked in 2021, when NHTSA received 171. 33% arrived between 2015 and 2019, the model year's first years on the road.
Adjusted for how many complaints NHTSA received about all 2016 vehicles, the 2016 Subaru Outback drew 2.4× the complaints of the median Subaru Outback year in the same window: 8th highest of the 23 ranked years.
That makes 2016 one of the Subaru Outback years to avoid by our method.
NHTSA crash-test stars
- Overall: ★★★★★
- Frontal: 5/5
- Side: 5/5
- Rollover: 4/5
The 643 complaints about the 2016 Subaru Outback are unverified owner reports, and a model sold in large numbers collects more of them.
Subaru Outback by model year
Other 2016 Subaru models
Newest record on this page: August 20, 2026. Data: NHTSA recall and owner-complaint files. How these figures are counted